Recommend a car

brinty

Hi all,

Could any of you recommend a car to me which would have
Luxury branding (i.e. audi, bmw etc)
manual diesel
comfort
good fuel efficiency
2008 or newer for lower tax bands
around 20k

I'm a 6 foot 3 man driving over 500 miles a week so need the above just for my own sake.

Am trading in my 2003 A4, it has high mileage and worth less than 3k now, and is just generally breaking down. Recently passed driving test so not restricted on what I can buy thank god, as I have been unable to get insurance on some of the cars I would consider.

I would like to go for something thats a bit fun to drive. I test drove a new model A4 and was i felt a bit sterile and boring. Tested a 520d and wasn't bad but didn't get to properly open her up..

I'm considering something like BMW520, c class merc, x type jag

If anyone could help or share their experiences would be very thankful..

Jimbob 83

2008 A4 tbh, much improved car if you go for a high spec one

brinty

Thanks Jimbob, when i did the test drive I asked for a 143bhp in the main dealers and sales guy was oh they are rare we don't get them in blah blah...the 120bhp is just as good...i nearly rung his neck..he's pestering me since about 120bhp ones he has etc..:mad:

fabsoul

only thing is the tax bands is €677 because its auto

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mercedes-Benz/C-Class/200-C-SE/201232209489400/advert?channel=CARS

brinty

Thanks Fabsoul,

Prefer a manual to auto, as auto will eat diesel!!

fabsoul

brinty wrote: »

Thanks Fabsoul,

Prefer a manual to auto, as auto will eat diesel!!

:eek: nope 50+ mpg

I have a 320cd auto and get 40+ mpg auto not that bad anymore

Blazer

Have a 520D and highly recommended.
Would advise buying a late 09/10 if possible as the N47 engine in the 08/09 models has flaws with weakpoints in the camshaft/timing chain area.
6K to fix if it goes wrong and you're not in warranty.
Apparently BMW revised and improved the engine in late 09 to resolve this issue.
Not familiar with the other cars so can't provide any info on those.

brinty

Cheers Blazer, sounds interesting, see what I can see on them..

Had heard about problems with something like that on BMW's but had thought it was e60 engines

Thanks for info Fabsoul, good to know auto's are getting better

bazz26

Not exactly a premium brand but they are a rare enough sight and they are well specced compared to the likes of most Audi A4s, etc:


http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=28713433999173010

Probably not what would be described as fun to drive either but worth a look at anyway.

Casati

fabsoul wrote: »

only thing is the tax bands is €677 because its auto

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mercedes-Benz/C-Class/200-C-SE/201232209489400/advert?channel=CARS

A manual C200 CDI or C220 CDI might be a good option. If you fancy going to the UK this might be an option

2009 C200 SE with 36k for £11,299

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201230479715939/sort/default/usedcars/maximum-age/up_to_3_years_old/fuel-type/diesel/model/c_class/make/mercedes-benz/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/radius/1500/postcode/n87ex/page/2?logcode=p

miller50841

Honestly go for a high spec Avensis, Mondeo or Accord you would not be disappointed.

Jap cars are top for reliability

brinty

Thanks for responses thus far to all.

Casati, thanks for the link, I saw another sporty Merc on that site for £14k, jaw dropped :eek: i think i'm in love

But seriously, keep the recommendations coming. If any of ye drive/previously owned one of what I'm considering could yet let me know some of your experiences.

Media999

Late 08 or newer Audi a4 2.0 Diesel. Its as quiet as a petrol and great MPG. 6"3 myself and perfectly comfortable. Low tax.

brinty

Casati,

Thanks for the recommendation, wife likes it and is encouraging me to give them a call. And she dislikes mercs...there an old mans car!!!

brinty

Tested a 2010 A4 was very comfy and nice
Rethinking an audi now, but wanna try a Merc and BMW

markoire

brinty wrote: »

Tested a 2010 A4 was very comfy and nice
Rethinking an audi now, but wanna try a Merc and BMW

OP if you want something thats fun to drive, why not go for one of the 6 cylinder diesels? Obviously wont be as much fun as a petrol equivalent but certainly more fun than the 4 cylinders. At the sort of money you're talking im pretty certain you'd pick up a nice 530d/535d, A5/A6 3.0tdi etc. Theyre relatively cheap to tax from 2008 onwards.

Heres a couple of examples from a quick search although I'm sure you could get better value and spec on some of them.
http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/530d-SE-/30013452207835130/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Audi/A5/Coupe-3./201234209675368/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Audi/A6/3.0-Tdi-/201206206874539/advert?channel=CARS

An auto box certainly wont "eat" diesel. Will be slightly harder on fuel but is a far better match for some of the cars you're looking at.

brinty

markoire wrote: »

OP if you want something thats fun to drive, why not go for one of the 6 cylinder diesels? Obviously wont be as much fun as a petrol equivalent but certainly more fun than the 4 cylinders. At the sort of money you're talking im pretty certain you'd pick up a nice 530d/535d, A5/A6 3.0tdi etc. Theyre relatively cheap to tax from 2008 onwards.

Heres a couple of examples from a quick search although I'm sure you could get better value and spec on some of them.
http://www.carzone.ie/search/BMW/5-Series/530d-SE-/30013452207835130/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Audi/A5/Coupe-3./201234209675368/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Audi/A6/3.0-Tdi-/201206206874539/advert?channel=CARS

An auto box certainly wont "eat" diesel. Will be slightly harder on fuel but is a far better match for some of the cars you're looking at.

Cheers Markorie,
The last one i was looking at, the test drive i had was in that dealers.. they are good to deal with but just looking for opinions and other peoples experiences.
Thanks

vectra

Not Luxury Badged but certainly would be luxurious enough and should tick all the other boxes for you.
ie 170bhp Diesel Manual

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Skoda/Superb/Elegance-2.0TDI/201235209776704/

brinty

Hi all, testing a 2009 520d business edition tomorrow. Should be looking at about 21k and 50 on the clock already... any tips suggestions or advice in advance,
i heard go for a late 2009 engine (i assume this is the e60 engine) as earlier ones were rough and had issues on drive chains costing a fortune to fix

ghogie91

I test drove a 2008 140 bhp 2.0 diesel audi A6 2 days ago

Fell in love there and then! Amazing car

partyatmygaff

ghogie91 wrote: »

I test drove a 2008 140 bhp 2.0 diesel audi A6 2 days ago

Fell in love there and then! Amazing car

The 3.0TDi (Or 2.7TDi if that's still available) is even better. Matched with Quattro and you've got a very nice car.

brinty

They've no a6's where i'm buying within my price range ;(

brinty

partyatmygaff wrote: »

The 3.0TDi (Or 2.7TDi if that's still available) is even better. Matched with Quattro and you've got a very nice car.

They have a 3ltr quattro but bloody tax is astronomical its north of 1k

And most are automatics, and I want a manual

The Bishop Basher

520d's are fast becoming the new Avensis or Mondeo. They're everywhere and pretty boring car IMO. I agree with the previous poster. If you want something fun, go for a 530 or 535d. They're usually far better specd and you'll never look back.

brinty

Swanner wrote: »

520d's are fast becoming the new Avensis or Mondeo. They're everywhere and pretty boring car IMO. I agree with the previous poster. If you want something fun, go for a 530 or 535d. They're usually far better specd and you'll never look back.

Thanks OP but can't find one in my price range

partyatmygaff

brinty wrote: »

They have a 3ltr quattro but bloody tax is astronomical its north of 1k

And most are automatics, and I want a manual

If you can get a post-2008 model, tax drops to €3-400. Either way, if you're considering a 5 series BMW, you should also be considering an A6. The A4 (While nice) isn't in the same class as a 5 series. It may be cheaper to import:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2008-Audi-A6-3-0-TDI-S-Line-Quattro-/170911773920?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item27cb22b4e0

£8,800 seems a bit on the cheap side so i'd do a few checks before considering it though.

JJJJNR

A3 maybe.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3615957

brinty

JJJJNR wrote: »

A3 maybe.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3615957

Thanks but refer you to original post, would be way to small for me

bazz26

brinty wrote: »

Hi all, testing a 2009 520d business edition tomorrow. Should be looking at about 21k and 50 on the clock already... any tips suggestions or advice in advance,
i heard go for a late 2009 engine (i assume this is the e60 engine) as earlier ones were rough and had issues on drive chains costing a fortune to fix

The timing chain issues effects the N47 engine from 2007 and wasn't fixed until 2010. I would avoid any E60 520d from these dates.

brinty

bazz26 wrote: »

The timing chain issues effects the N47 engine from 2007 and wasn't fixed until 2010. I would avoid any E60 520d from these dates.

Damn, thats giving me second thoughts now..

Flip it....

born2bwild

Had to post this Accord:
http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/3897174
Look where it's parked!!!
Must have been a prize in a raffle!

brinty

The money was just resting in the sellers account

brinty

Hi all,

Managed to get sorted

2010 BMW 520d SE Business Edition with under 20k miles on the clock for under €25k

Thanks for all the help, heres a link to the car http://bolands.webzone.ie/used-cars/BMW/5-Series/520-D/23813419311193530/

colm_mcm

Best of luck with it.